The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 43, 1670-1700: Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the Catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century
History
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 43, 1670-1700: Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the Catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century
Demarcation line of Alexander VI; Missions -- Philippines; Philippines -- Discovery and exploration; Philippines -- History -- Sources
No. 32. There are many abuses (or as they say ugales) which the natives
practice against our holy faith and good customs, among others of
which are the following. First, the above-mentioned idolatry of
the nonos. In regard to this it must be noted that the word nono
does not alone signify "grandfather," but that it also is used as
a term of respect to the old men and genii. The Indians comprise
these under the word nono, just as the Chinese do under the word
Espiritus [i. e., "spirits"], and the Romans under the word "Gods,"
which other called Lares, Penates, etc. With the above-mentioned
genii or nonos the Indians perform many acts of idolatry frequently,
such as for example, asking permission, relief, and aid from them,
and that they do the people no harm, and that they do not prove
hostile to them, etc. They make such requests on many occasions,
and among others are the following. When they wish to pluck any
flower or fruit from the tree, they ask permission from the nono or
genius to pluck it. When they pass certain fields, rivers, creeks,
or streamlets, large trees, sugar-cane plantations and other places,
they ask permission and good passage from the genii or nonos. When
they are obliged to cut any tree, or not to observe the things or
ceremonies which they imagine to be pleasing to the genii or nonos,
they ask pardon of them, and excuse themselves to those beings by
saying, among many other things, that the father commanded them to do
it, and that they are not willingly lacking in respect to the genii,
or that they do not willingly oppose their will, etc. When they are
taken with the sickness that they call pamave, which they attribute to
the genii or nonos (although they try to conceal this by saying that
the country [has not?] agreed with them) they ask them for health and
offer them food. They do that both on this, and many other occasions,
in the fields, sugar-cane plantations, streamlets, at the foot of
any large tree, more generally some calunpan, [27] and in various
other places. This sort of idolatry is very deeply rooted and of long
standing among the Indians. Consequently, it is very necessary for
the father ministers to be very careful and make great efforts to
extirpate it, and not avoid any labor or work until it is annihilated.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account